STAGE 6: REVIEW AND EVALUATION (IS IT WORKING?)
This final stage is extremely important
because it looks at whether the aeration treatment has worked. This step is so often missed when conducting
aeration in cricket because the effects of the treatment are below ground and
not always reflected in pitch performance scores or the colour of the grass.
Reviewing and evaluating treatment
effectiveness
Having spent
time and money on an aeration treatment it is important to review whether or
not it has worked. To do this it is
essential to look at the soil profile in the same way as in Stage 2. It will be necessary to take a number of
cores as it is important to look at what is going on down any drill or solid
tine holes and these might be difficult to identify.
It is important
to allow long enough for the treatment to take effect and for this reason it is
suggested that cores are reviewed at the beginning and end of the season
following treatment. This is because
processes such as root growth or the breaking down of layers take time. It might also be that the treatments need to
be repeated over two seasons before an effect is seen.
If no effect is
observed following two seasons of treatment then you must question whether the
aeration treatment is effective. Dont
be surprised if it is not consistently effective treatments were not found in
the Cranfield University research. It
might be that the treatment needs to be changed or a more effective machine of
the same type identified. Aeration
treatments can be effective but they are costly in terms of machinery, wearing
parts, fuel and time if they are not working then they might not be necessary,
it could be that natural soil shrink and swell is as effective. It might also be
that a more disruptive treatment is required, such as surface planing rather
than solid tine aeration, or even surface reconstruction. If you are in doubt as how to proceed, speak
to your County Pitch Advisor.
This is the last
stage in the Six-Stage process. You can
return to the Introduction to review the stages.